1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to LED packages, and more particularly, to an LED package having a high dissipation structure including carbon nanotubes.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, light emitting diodes (LEDs) emit light by converting energy, generated when the injected electrons and holes recombine, into light. Examples of LEDs may include red LEDs using GaAsP and green LEDs using GaP. Nitride semiconductors using nitrides including GaN have recently attracted attention as the core material of photoelectric materials and electronic devices because of their excellent physical and chemical characteristics. Nitride semiconductor LEDs have correspondingly come into prominence. Nitride semiconductor LEDs can generate green, blue and ultraviolet light. As the luminance of nitride semiconductors has increased tremendously with technological advancements, nitride semiconductors have also been used in many applications ranging from full color displays to lighting apparatuses. Various kinds of packages having LEDs mounted therein are manufactured according to applications.
In order to apply LEDs to areas requiring high luminance, such as lighting apparatuses, the power consumption of LEDs needs to be increased. This causes LEDs to generate large amounts of heat. When the generated heat cannot be effectively dissipated to the outside of packages, the characteristics of LEDs may be changed or LED life time may be reduced.
In the related art, in order to improve heat dissipation, an LED package includes a heat dissipation unit using a metal, such as Cu, Al or Ag, which has excellent thermal conductivity. Theses metals including Cu, Al and Ag are known for their low thermal resistance and high thermal conductivity. However, these metals are susceptible to oxidation in the air, and voids are formed due to the movement of electrons caused when voltage is applied. As a result, heat dissipation is not effectively performed, lowering the operating characteristics and reliability of LEDs.